Catacombs of Paris

A hotel near the Catacombs of Paris? FRED HOTEL!

Discover the Paris underground just a few minutes from your hotel.

The history of the Catacombs dates back to the 18th century. An underground cemetery 18 000 meters long, where some six million Parisians were meticulously laid to rest - three times the current population of Paris inner city. Among the illustrious dead are the likes of Danton, Robespierre, La Pompadour, and Montesquieu. FRED HÔTEL, 75014, is ideally located in the same district as the Catacombs of Paris.

History of the Catacombs of Paris

The Catacombs of Paris are actually a giant ossuary 20 metres below the surface of Paris, a labyrinth of galleries in the former quarries of the stone used to build the capital. This ossuary houses six million Parisians, moved here due to the unsanitary conditions of the city’s cemeteries from the 18th century. Descend down into the cool (14°C) and obscure maze of tunnels under the streets of Paris and navigate the narrow corridors of death with the strange romantic décor. Poems and bones adorn the walls of the Catacombs and transport you to a new dimension of Paris, a journey to another world.

What’s on at the Catacombs of Paris

Guided visits

Several tours of the Catacombs of Paris are available on certain dates. You can firstly follow the main circuit of the Catacombs that covers 1.5 km. Secondly, there is a 2-km guided tour of the galleries accompanied by a guide giving you the full history of the Parisian underground. You will discover the highlights of the ossuary such as the Sacellum Crypt, the tomb of Gilbert and the sculptures of Décure. The third possibility is available only once a month to discover the geological history of these catacombs going back 45 million years, when a tropical sea covered the location of Paris from which was formed the rock later exploited in the underground quarries.

Exhibitions

The Catacombs of Paris have regular temporary exhibitions. Principally centred around the skeletons or the history of Paris, these exhibitions will show you a new perspective of this city with a thousand faces.

: A Catacombs of Paris themed escape game room

This is not strictly speaking inside the famous Catacombs of Paris, but the decor of this escape game has been inspired (not to say copied!) by the Parisian ossuary. You get one hour, surrounded by all kinds of skulls and bones, wearing a headlamp to search for an old testament[CL1] through a new secret passage leading to the catacombs. If you appreciated your visit to the Catacombs of Paris, you'll enjoy this escape game (TheGame-France) (link to TheGame-France), while giving your brain a workout.

The FRED HOTEL near the Catacombs of Paris

FRED HÔTEL, 75014, is a hotel near the Catacombs of Paris located just a 20-minute walk from the site or 20 minutes by public transport.

Walking from the FRED hotel up to the Catacombs of Paris: leaving FRED HÔTEL, turn right on rue Villemain and then right again on to rue Raymond Losserand. Continue straight on to the crossing with rue Froidevaux and take a right along the Montparnasse cemetery. Continue straight to Square Claude-Nicolas-Ledoux and you will reach the Catacombs of Paris.

By public transport from FRED HÔTEL, 75014, to the Catacombs of Paris: you have several options. You can go to the nearest metro station, Plaisance, then take line 13 direction Asnières Gennevilliers les Courtilles and change at Gare Montparnasse onto line 6 in the direction of Nation and get off at Denfert Rochereau, which takes 18 minutes in total. The second possibility with no connections to make is to walk to Alésia station, take line 4 direction Porte de Clignancourt and then get off at Denfert Rochereau for a total trip of 22 minutes (including 13-minute walk)